Digital Economy Research, Forecasts & Analysis

31 Oct 2025 · Media · Brief

Ad market growth holds up as the AI shift helps ‘traditional’ media

: Next week, we will publish our subscriber-only annual advertising market forecast, analysing trends in the TV, radio, print, outdoor, cinema and digital segments out to 2030. This free brief provides a preview of some of the key results. The biggest change is the decline of Google search under pres…

5 Sept 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Consumerisation brings regulation risk for the AI industry

: While early analysis focused on AI's impact on business, the landscape has rapidly "consumerised." Personal preferences are now shaping how users engage with AI, both at work and at home, fostering deep connections that go well beyond professional utility. This emotional entanglement opens up a vas…

5 June 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Social media age restrictions can work, but need an education strategy

: Growing evidence of harms to young people from social media has ignited public concern. In response, Australia passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that bans children under 16 from using certain social media platforms, includi…

9 May 2025 · Digital Regulation · Brief

Time for a Digital Services Tariff?

: Analysis from Venture Insights reveals that the five largest U.S. tech companies operating in Australia — including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta (Facebook), and Amazon — are collectively paying only around a quarter of the corporate tax they would be expected to contribute if taxed fully under Au…

28 Mar 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Global Tech Giants and Tax Avoidance in Australia

: Australia’s weak corporate tax regime has allowed global tech giants like Amazon, Google, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft to generate billions in local revenue while paying minimal tax. These companies exploit loopholes to shift profits offshore, contributing just a fraction of what they would under a f…

16 Mar 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Apple and Microsoft Would Crack the ASX10

: New analysis from Venture Insights reveals that Apple and Microsoft would rank among the ten most valuable companies in Australia if their local operations were assessed independently. We estimate that Apple Australia’s implied enterprise value (EV) is $99.6 billion, and Microsoft Australia’s is $8…

14 Mar 2025 · Telecom · Brief

The tariff debate ignores Australia’s digital dependence

: Australia’s tariff debate is missing the real issue. Our dependence on US technology and digital services is the real economic vulnerability, not steel and aluminium. While we fixate on minor tariffs, Australia imports A$88.2 billion from the US while exporting only A$37.5 billion, with IP charges…

10 Feb 2025 · Telecom · Brief

DeepSeek’s Disruption – AI, Geopolitics, and Market Shifts

: DeepSeek has disrupted the global AI landscape, demonstrating that high-performance models can be developed at a fraction of the cost of Western alternatives. This breakthrough has triggered a US$1 trillion stock market sell-off, raising critical investment, regulatory, and national security concer…

5 Dec 2024 · Digital Infrastructure · Brief

Tasman Ring cable will help integrate Australia/New Zealand data centre markets

: This report analyses the announcement of the Tasman Ring cable network by Chorus and Datagrid, a 6,000 km subsea system designed to connect major Australian and New Zealand hubs. With a capacity of up to 540Tbps, the project aims to integrate the two markets, facilitating load shifting for AI and c…

5 Dec 2024 · Digital Infrastructure · Brief

Tasman Ring cable will help integrate Australia/New Zealand data centre markets

: This report analyses the announcement of the Tasman Ring cable network by Chorus and Datagrid. The 6,000 km system will connect major hubs in Australia and New Zealand, providing up to 540Tbps of capacity. This infrastructure is critical for integrating the two markets, enabling load shifting for A…

5 Dec 2024 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Australian Treasury’s regulation proposal signals tougher approach to platforms

: This report analyses the Australian Treasury's new proposal for a legislative regime to regulate the economic power of digital platforms. The framework introduces ex ante provisions targeting anti-competitive behaviors such as self-preferencing and tying, aligning Australia with European regulatory…

14 June 2024 · Telecom · Brief

What is Apple Intelligence?

: This report analyses the launch of 'Apple Intelligence', a suite of AI capabilities integrated into iOS18. It examines the technical architecture of Apple's privacy-centric approach, including on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute (PPC). The brief evaluates the potential for these features…